Snails
by Ophelia Joane
Summary: Harry doesn't want to marry Ginny. Especially since he has his eyes on another woman, who he's spent years slowly trying to be with.


_Written for the Semi-Finals for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition_

_Prompts:_

_(dialogue) "The sky looks less blue today."_

_(word) unsightly_

_(quote) "It's better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone." - Marilyn Monroe_

_(colour) aquamarine_

_(dialogue) "If you're going to throw up some point this movie, wait until the really horrible stuff comes on first."_

**Disclaimer: Even though people often confuse me with Hagrid, no I have nothing to do with Harry Potter.**

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><p>If he told himself that enough times, maybe he'd eventually believe it.<p>

Harry loved her. Because he did love her, he really did. Or at least he tried to.

The truth was Harry didn't love Ginny, not like he had thought he had. And there he was, standing with an engagement ring in his pocket, waiting for her to come outside their flat. Harry and Ginny were headed to a day movie, where afterwards they were supposed to go on a walk by a river, where they were going to stop at an oak tree and then have a picnic. She was going to laugh and as they were caught up in the moment, he was going to pull out the ring and propose.

Of course, that was what Hermione had told him to do, and what the other Weasleys thought would be a good idea.

But... Harry couldn't propose to her. He couldn't marry Ginny! Not when he was still in love with -

"Ready to go, honey?" Speak of the devil.

Harry grunted, "Been ready for ages."

Ginny rolled her eyes, pulling her boyfriend off of the pillar he had been leaning on. "Come on, I don't want to be late. I heard this was supposed to be the best scary movie for years!" For some odd reason, Ginny had always been fascinated by scary things, as if she hadn't had enough fear in her life. Harry figured that it was her way of coping with the war.

Which was surreal to think about, as it had ended seven years ago.

Harry took a second to push thoughts about the war out of his mind so he could concentrate on apparating. In a blink of an eye, there were standing in a stinky alley, a block away from the theater. Then time seemed to just pass as Harry zoned out, completely missing whatever thing Ginny was talking to him about. They had gotten some popcorn and sat down in the theater before Harry snapped back to reality.

"...So I just told him if he didn't stop it, then to fire me, his best chaser, because I'm so sick of him and his sexist remarks. And he did."

Harry gave her a confused look. "Did what?" he raised an eyebrow.

Ginny shrugged, "He fired me," she said nonchalantly.

"He fired you."

"Yes."

"Meaning you're jobless."

She sighed, rolling her eyes, "Yes, meaning I'm jobless. But it's fine. We still have your income from the Auror office -"

"Ginny, I'm still just a beginner! I don't get any of the good cases -"

"And besides, your parents left you all that money. It's about time to spend it, yeah? Rather than just let it sit there."

Harry pursed his lips. He couldn't believe this. Actually, he could, it was Ginny. "We've had this conversation a million times, Ginny, I'm not touching their money."

"It's your money."

"Shh!" Someone called out from the other side of the theater. Ginny responded by giving them a not-so-nice gesture. Then she ended their conversation and started focusing on the movie.

Harry thought he was going to throw up. Why was he even there? He didn't want to watch something gory, he didn't want to be reminded of the war!

"If you're go ing to throw up some point this movie, wait until the really horrible stuff comes on first." Harry watched as the blonde actress on screen said that to her brunette friend, ironically, since that's how he felt. The movie was about a group of teens going to see a movie and end up all being murdered in the theater by some psycho.

Harry thought it was stupid. But Ginny loved it.

"Ah! Didn't you love it when she -"

"Yeah."

"Harry, you didn't even let me finish."

Harry hummed in response, he had apparated her to the park by the river and they were not holding hands and walking around.

He thought he was going to pass out.

Sighing, Harry figured to get it out sooner than later, and let go of her hand, facing her. "Listen, Ginny..."

"Ooh! Look over there at that oak tree! We can set up our picnic there."

Harry groaned, but shook his head and followed her to the unsightly oak tree. As he reached her, he noticed she hadn't started emptying out the basket and was yanked unceremoniously down to the ground with her. She lay on her back, looking up at the sky.

"Isn't it beautiful? The sky looks aquamarine! I love summer," she exclaimed. Harry looked up as well at the sky.

"The sky looks less blue today," he grumbled. Which wasn't true, but he was in a bad mood, so it might as well been.

Ginny, being slightly more observant than her youngest brother, noticed. "Okay, what's up with you today?" she demanded more than asked.

"I don't love you."

Wait, what? Had he just said that out loud?

By the look on Ginny's face, he had. Oh no.

"What?" she whispered harshly, sitting up quickly. "What do you mean you don't love me!"

Harry hopped back on his feet. Closing his eyes, he opened his mouth, "Look Ginny. You're, er, great and everything... but... I don't love you. Actually, you're a bit rude. And self-centered."

"Self-centered!"

"I just don't think this is working - we're not working."

Ginny, now on her feet, was turning red from anger. "Are you breaking up with me?!" she screeched.

Harry scratched his head, "Yeah," he muttered, "Yeah, I guess I am." Hoping to avoid having to talk to her anymore, because honestly he was slightly afraid, he turned to leave. He had made it quite a few yards (figuring Ginny was frozen in anger and shock) before he heard her screech again.

"You can't break up with me! You're marrying me!"

It was Harry's turn to freeze. He slowly turned back towards her, who he was surprised to see only a couple feet away. "I'm not marrying you," Harry said firmly.

"You are!" Ginny yelled, "You were going to ask me today! On the oak tree, I know all about it!"

"Your mother told you, I'm guessing."

"No. I read the letters to and from Hermione."

He took a deep breath, trying to control himself, "So you were snooping through my things?" Honestly, though, he knew she did stuff like that. Always having to know who he was talking to, meeting with, and where he was at all times. "I can't believe - my privacy of all things!"

Ginny, who always had something to say, was in the middle of opening her mouth before Harry beat her to it. "We're done, Ginny. It's over." Then he ran as fast as he could to the nearest alley where he apparated to the one place he wanted to be.

_**o.O.o**_

Harry knocked on the door.

"Harry! What are you doing here, you're supposed to be with Ginny," Hermione's face suddenly fell, "Oh my Merlin, she said no, didn't she!"

He shook his head, "Can I, er?" he motioned to her house.

Hermione shook her head as if to clear it of thoughts, "Yes, come in, come in." She moved out of the way for him, briskly walking to the couch where she sat down. Hermione patted the seat next to her. Harry hesitated before coming down.

"Tea?" Hermione offered, summoning two cups and teapot from the kitchen, putting them on the coffee table.

"Yes please," Harry mumbled, grabbing a cup, "Do you have any sugar?" he asked her.

"Oh, ugh, yes! In the kitchen, I'll be right back!" Hermione quickly jumped off of the couch and sprinted to the kitchen.

Harry furrowed his eyebrows. That wasn't very Hermione-like. She was never that frazzled. He then brought his focus to the cup in his hands, finally understanding.

"I would have brought out some milk as well, but it's expired and... Harry?" Hermione stopped, setting the sugar on the table and then stepping back.

"What's with you, Hermione?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

Hermione didn't answer him, instead turning away to walk towards the window. She'd have to contain her happiness, and her urge to jump her now single best friend. After all those years... she finally had a chance to be with him. But she couldn't think about that right now, not when he was so obviously upset. A few seconds later she shook her head, "Don't worry about me," she turned back towards him, leaning on the windowsill, "What happened?"

Harry coughed, "Well... I don't love her."

"You don't love her." An eyebrow raised, her heart sped up.

"Hermione, I'm not happy with her. Whenever we're together it's always about her, or my money, or our fame. I can't remember the last time we had one deep or intelligent conversation with one another!"

She nodded as he spoke, thinking of all the intelligent conversations they had had, "I understand," she started. "It's like ever since we won the war, she changed. You would think that losing Fred would have made her less... Ginny."

"Yes, you would think."

Pushing herself off of the ledge, she made her way over to Harry and sat next to him on the couch. "In my experience," he knew she was talking about her past relationship with Ron, "It's better to be unhappy alone, than unhappy with someone."

They were silent. Both contemplating what that really meant to them.

"Hermione," Harry whispered after a few minutes, "What if... what if I wanted to be happy with someone, but I wasn't sure they wanted it too."

Hermione looked into Harry's eyes, touching his face with her hand, "Believe me, Harry," she whispered back, "I'm sure that they want to be happy with you just as much as you do."

Harry gulped. Now was his chance to come clean to how he felt about her. He could finally climb out from the friendzone pit that he was unceremoniously pushed into when they were kids.

But he didn't. Because she and Ron had only been apart for a few months, and he had just gotten out of a relationship only a few minutes beforehand. He would wait, though. As would she.

Or at least he thought they would, until Hermione surprised him by kissing him.

"What... was that?" he asked the second her lips were off of his. She smiled knowingly at him, waggling her eyebrows.

"I'm tired of waiting, Harry. We've waited over a decade!"

"But still," Harry started, "I thought - we need to take things slow."

"If we go any slower we're going to go back in time. Just let it happen," Hermione smiled.

Harry licked his lips, taking a deep breath, "I just can't believe you were the first one to make a move. I thought it would be..." He was cut off by another kiss.

"Well, what would you have done?"

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><p><em>Thoughts? Reviews?<em>


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